Swastika Defaces Courtroom
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swastika found carved into the courtroom door of a Fulton County state judge is being investigated by the Fulton Sheriff’s Department. A swastika in a circle with “3rd Reich” etched beneath it was found on the door of Judge Jay M. Roth. A picture of the vandalism was posted Tuesday, Jan. 19, on the Facebook page of WAGA/Fox 5 reporter Dale Russell. At this writing, Roth has not commented. Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed Roth to the court in 2009, and he was re-elected in 2014. The Anti-Defamation League’s Southeast Region office in Buckhead also has yet to comment. A statement issued by Fulton County State Court Chief Judge Myra H. Dixon on behalf of the Superior and State courts said in part: “It is paramount that matters of the court are conducted in an environment that is free of prejudice, discrimination or acts of intolerance. For these reasons, the Courts of the Atlanta Judicial Circuit are deeply saddened and concerned to learn that a swastika was etched in the courtroom door of one of our colleagues. Acts of bias and public displays of prejudice are offensive, divisive and contrary to law and public policy.” ■
Atlanta VOL. XCI NO. 4
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JANUARY 29, 2016 | 19 SHEVAT 5776
Perdue Blocks Court Bid
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epublican Sen. David Perdue has killed the judicial nomination of a Jewish Republican in DeKalb County who would have been Georgia’s first Latino on the U.S. District Court. Perdue issued a statement Thursday, Jan. 21, that he would not sign off on Senate Judiciary Committee consideration of State Court Judge Dax Lopez for the federal bench. President Barack Obama nominated Lopez in July. Lopez, a member of The Temple, was first appointed to the State Court by Gov. Sonny Perdue in 2010. Anti-Defamation League Southeast Region Director Mark Moskowitz sent letters supporting Lopez to Perdue and
Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson on Jan. 6. Moskowitz called the judge “a smart, compassionate lawyer” who would serve on the federal court “with honor, conscientiousness and distinction.” “We are deeply troubled that Dax’s nomination … has become controversial,” Moskowitz wrote. The controversy came from anti-illegal-immigration activists, who lobbied hard against Lopez because he served on the board of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials for several years until resigning after his federal nomination. GALEO as an organization has advocated for changes to the immigration system and for a path to citizenship for
AJFF Names Kasdan Icon
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DANCE REVOLUTION
An Alvin Ailey performance in February gives new life and meaning to the music of a Jewish composer silenced by the Holocaust. Page 9
VISITING ISRAEL
Our special Travel section views Israel through the eyes of a rabbi, a lawyer, a college student and a high-schooler who have been there amid the current wave of violence. Pages 17-22
PICTURE PERFECT
Walking around the Amato house in Buckhead is like going to a salon in 19th-century France. Page 24
illegal immigrants and against mass deportations. “I have become uncomfortable with his longstanding participation in a controversial organization including his service on its board of directors,” Perdue said in a statement. “I am particularly concerned with his continued participation with this organization and his public comments after he became a state judge. Unfortunately, our personal meeting, while cordial and informative, did not fully alleviate my concerns.” By custom, the Senate gives a state’s senators veto power over judicial nominations of their constituents. Isakson, a Republican seeking re-election this year, had said Lopez should get a hearing. ■ • Judge’s reaction, Page 6 • Perdue’s betrayal, Page 10
Light for the Ages Photo by Eli Gray, Gray Imaging
Ben Hirsch sets an example of remembrance during the candle-lighting ceremony at the start of Am Yisrael Chai’s annual commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Sunday night, Jan. 24. Hirsch, who escaped Germany as a child on the Kindertransport and settled in Atlanta, is an architect whose works include the nearly 51-year-old Memorial to the Six Million at Greenwood Cemetery. International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27 falls on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in 1945, and Am Yisrael Chai marked the occasion this year by inviting one of the youngest survivors of Auschwitz, human rights activist Thomas Buergenthal, to speak. More, Page 8
INSIDE
Opening Ideas �������������������������3 Calendar �����������������������������������4 Candle Lighting ����������������������4 Opinion ����������������������������������10 Education �������������������������������14 Israel ��������������������������������������� 16
Travel ������������������������������������� 17 Business ���������������������������������23 Home ������������������������������������� 24 Arts ����������������������������������������� 26 Obituaries ������������������������������28 Crossword ������������������������������30
he Atlanta Jewish Film Festival used the Force at its opening night by announcing Lawrence Kasdan as the first recipient of the Icon Award for Contributions to the Cinematic Arts. The world’s largest Jewish film festival and its partner in the award, online publication ArtsATL, kept secret the existence of the Icon Award and its winner until the 16th annual festival’s opening Tuesday night, Jan. 26. The announcement was due after the AJT went to press. The Icon Award will be presented each year to someone who has upheld the tradition of artistic excellence in film, informed directly or indirectly by a Jewish subject or sensibility, and who inspires pre-eminence in filmmaking worldwide. The award is one of the festival’s most dramatic moves to grow its profile since becoming independent in August 2014. Kasdan, 67, a screenwriter, director, producer and four-time Oscar nominee, will accept the award at a gala May 22. He co-wrote “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and he and son Jon wrote the 2018 Han Solo spinoff. His writing credits also include “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Body Heat,” “The Big Chill” and “The Accidental Tourist,” the last three of which he directed. ■ • More festival coverage, Pages 26-27